You won’t be able protect war criminals, Hasina tells BNP chief

Reaffirming her firm resolve to execute the verdicts of the ongoing war crimes trial, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday warned the
opposition leader that she would not able to protect the war criminals no matter what she does. “She (Khaleda) had tried to save the killers of Father of the Nation, but couldn’t…We’ve executed the verdicts of the Bangabandhu killing. Inshallah, the same way the verdicts on the war crimes trials would be executed on Bangladesh soil, no matter what attempts she (Khaleda) makes to protect them,”
she said. Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the Awami League, was addressing a mammoth public rally organised by the local Awami League
at the Kushtia Government College ground in the afternoon. Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu and AL
joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif spoke, among others, addressed the rally held with acting district president of AL Zulfikar
Ali in the chair. The Prime Minister said the killers of Bangabandhu, including Col Faruk and Major Huda, have been hanged, and
efforts are still on to hunt down other killers remained absconding abroad. “They’ll also be hanged once they are captured.” Alleging
that the BNP would again turn Bangladesh into a country of terrorism, militancy and corruption if comes to power, the AL chief said the BNP
would stop the development activities of the present government as they had halted the operations of the countrywide community clinics
initiated during the previous Awami League government. Hasina said whenever the AL government assumes office, peace is restored in the
county and people can live and sleep in peace. In a scathing attack on Khaleda Zia that she is ‘at home’ in spreading falsehood, the Prime
Minister said the opposition leader had alleged 1.50 lakh gunshots were fired during the Hefajat-e-Islam’s Dhaka siege programme on May
5. “But, when I asked her to give the actual number, she couldn’t reply to it……the same way she (Khaleda) had resorted to falsehood
before the election in 1996 saying that if AL assumed office, there would be no Ajans in mosques,” Hasina said adding, “But, we then
assumed office and there were ajans in mosques and no ‘ulu’ sounds.” “So I want to ask her (Khaleda) why she is spreading falsehood,” the
Prime Minister said alleging that Khaleda was involved in killing a Muslim while reciting holy Quran inside a mosque during her tenure.
“Whenever AL was in power, there were Eid prayers, tarabih prayers in mosques. So, why these falsehoods are for?” Hasina questioned.
Blaming that the female activists of Jamaat-e-Islam are also carrying out false propaganda against the government, Hasina urged the
countrymen to remain alert against all these lies by the BNP-Jamaat and Hefajat. Hasina criticized the opposition leader for embezzling
the fund of the Zia Orphanage Trust while her two sons were also involved in corruption and money laundering through opening Hawa
Bhaban apart from looting Tk 980 crore from some public and private banks against Dandy Dying and Khamba Ltd. The Prime Minister said
assuming power by BNP means resorting to killing, looting and corruption as it has also misguided the youth by providing them with
money, arms and drugs. “Assuming power by BNP means looting, terrorism, misrule and killings.” Highlighting various successes of
the present government, the Awami League chief urged the huge gathering to vote for ‘Boat’, the election symbol of the ruling party,
in the next national election to give her party another chance to serve the nation. “Please raise your hands and show me that you
would vote for Boat in the next election,” Hasina said amid positive response from the local crowd. Hasina assured that if voted to power
again, her government would nationalise one school and one college in each district and build or renovate a central mosque in each district
and then in each upazila. – Agency